The Economist’s Indonesia Summit 2014: What the Nation Needs Now

With the general elections coming up, 2014 will be a decisive year for Indonesia. The country is now a mature democracy, but many believe that reform has stalled.

Indonesia has survived the global financial troubles of the past half-decade relatively unscathed, but infrastructure bottlenecks and regulatory hurdles have hampered the country’s economic potential. Whoever takes office in 2014 will have quite a bit on their hands.

During the election season, familiar faces and ambitious up-and-comers will treat Indonesians to daily doses of plans and promises as each candidate vies to paint a picture of a better Indonesia should he or she win at the polls.

But are the proclamations of (often populist) politicians good indicators of what the country really needs?

Foreign investors, wary of increased restrictions on finance, natural resources and other sectors suggest that whoever wins the election should deregulate and cut subsidies in order to to kick-start growth and investor confidence. Voters may have a different perspective.

So has Indonesia’s view of what it needs diverged from the rest of the world’s view of what Indonesia needs?

At this critical point, the Economist’s “Indonesia Summit 2014″ will convene a high-level gathering of political leaders, policymakers, academics and senior business executives to discuss what Indonesia needs from its new government, whoever it comprises.

Key themes for discussion:

• What Indonesia needs now — the view from Jakarta
• Indonesia and the world
• Finding Indonesia’s economic “sweet spot”
• Education and civil society: Report from the front line
• Tackling corruption through public sector reform
• Indonesia’s infrastructure challenge